World Class Trainer
Ask John O’Hara how many titles he has won, and you will likely get the modest response of “A couple.”
In reality, this Texas trainer has amassed a very impressive record boasting 45 Arabian US National Championships in Reining, 23 US National Reserve titles, and 121 US National Top Tens in Reining and Western Pleasure. Add to that the scores of regional winners and numerous NRHA titles, and you begin to get the picture of just how talented John O’Hara is with a horse. He reccently won both the 2011 and 2012 Scottsdale Arabian Open Futurity Championship on TA Mozart, owned by Kimberly Tillman. In 2009, John won the Scottsdale Half Arabian Open Futurity on Tucks For Bucks.
WIth over 25 years of professional horse training experience, O’Hara has been awarded the prestigious title of Arabian Horse Association Working Western Trainer of the Year in 2001. He also was named the Working Western Trainer of the Year for AHA’s Region 9 three times. To put it simply, John is considered by many to be one of the top reining horse trainers in the Arabian Horse industry.
John has been garnering many honors on Quarter Horses as well. In 2001 O’Hara entered the NRHA Futurity on a talented sorrel named Sparks N Starzz. This proved to be a very exciting ride not only for John, but for the crowd as well. On the first run down, John experienced major equipment failure when his right stirrup went flying! The crowd watched with anticipation to see if he was going to be able to pull off the remaining two stops with only 1 stirrup. But ever the consummate professional, O’Hara executed the last 2 sliding stops as if nothing had happened. The crowd went wild. And when the dust settled, John was named the 2001 NRHA Limited Open Futurity Reserve Champion. Since that dramatic ride, John O’Hara as propelled himself into one of the top money earners for the NRHA, with over $235,000 in NRHA earnings.
Non Pro Coach
In most any field, the surest sign of true greatness is the ability to share what you know with others. And in testament to this simple fact, John takes on the coaching of other riders as enthusiastically as he does showing himself.
“My greatest accomplishments are not my own wins,” he says, “but rather seeing my clients winning in the ring on all levels.” Not surprisingly, his amateurs are always in the winners circle, with several US AHA National Championships to their credit.
At the 2012 Scottsdale Championship show, student Cori Vokoun (pictured left with her awards) piloted her horse, Premium Buckshot to multiple top honors, including the Non Pro Purebred Derby Championship. Cori also won the Half Arab Reining 18-44 AAOTR Championshp on Buckshots Lady Luck, and the Arab Reining 18-44 AAOTR Reserve Championship on Dunits Finest.
At the same show, Kimberly Tillman rode her horse, FR Scarlet Ohara, to the Limited & Intermediate Non Pro Half Arab Derby, while also placing 3rd in the open Non Pro Derby.
